Fairy Tales are having a moment in pop culture. On television, there are two hit television shows, Grimm and Once Upon a Time. At the movies, we have seen retellings of Alice in Wonderland, Red Riding Hood and most recently Snow White.

Snow White and the Huntsman is the second retelling of the Snow White story to come out this year, and is billed as the edgier of the two. Directed by Rupert Sanders, Snow White and the Huntsman certainly take a darker look at the Snow White story.

In this version, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) has been a prisoner of the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) since her youth. When the queen orders a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill Snow White, he is unable to do so. They then join forces to try and overthrow the queen. For those who know the Snow White story, don’t worry, all the familiar elements are there.

What originally excited me most about this movie were the obviously strong female characters it presented. Snow White takes on the role of a warrior, and the evil queen becomes a much more prominent character. So prominent in fact that at one point I forgot that the movie was not called Evil Queen and the Mirror. Theron’s portrayal of Ravenna captured the sinister madness of the character and added depth that the traditional version lacked.

The Huntsman was a believable down-on-his-luck drunkard turned axe-for-hire. Hemsworth brought great feeling to the role, as well as what is becoming his trademark comedic style. During the battle sequences I kept expecting Thor, I mean the Huntsman, to summon the lightning with his hammer, but alas it never happened.

The movie overall had a great action/epic adventure feel, though at times it felt like a mash-up of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Chronicles of Narnia with Queen Ravenna as the female protagonist,

No, wait, the movie is called Snow White and the Huntsman, not Charlize Theron and the Amazing Costumes by Colleen Atwood.

Right, well, Snow White was fairly forgettable considering the movie was named for her. Stewart brought to Snow White about as much enthusiasm as she brought to Bella in the Twilight series – so, not much.

I will say she expressed maybe three more emotions than usual and actually smiled during one scene, but all expressions were quickly replaced with what I believe must be Stewart’s “neutral” face. Put next to Hemsworth’s emotional and expressive Huntsman, Snow White just faded into the scenery.

Despite my disappointment with what was supposed to be a strong female character, I did enjoy Snow White and the Huntsman. I recommend seeing it to anyone, but suggest waiting until it comes out on DVD. This one just isn’t worth full theater price.